Russia fires Yars ICBM at test target 6,000 km away

Russia has successfully completed a test launch of a new-generation RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from a silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.

“The main purpose of the launch is to confirm the reliability of rockets of the same class. The warheads successfully reached their target – the Kura testing range in Kamchatka. All aims of the test were achieved,” said a statement from Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The RS-24 Yars, which is equipped with three to six warheads, is capable of hitting different targets up to 12,000km away. It was first tested a decade ago, and has been in use by Russia’s strategic forces for the past seven years.

The solid-fuel rocket is an upgraded version of the Topol-M missile, and can be launched both from the ground and from a vehicle.

At the beginning of September, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced extensive drills for 11 strategic regiments across 20 regions.

Russia tested its submarine-based Bulava ICBM in June, successfully targeting the same facility as in the latest test, located near the Pacific coast in Kura.

A test of its RS-28 Sarmat super-heavy thermonuclear missile could be held in October, TASS reported on Monday, citing a military source. Designated SS-X-30 Satan 2 by NATO, it is expected to enter full deployment in 2020.

While most leading nuclear powers conduct scheduled tests of their strategic arsenals, recent launches by Russia, China, and the US have attracted extra attention in the wake of North Korea’s ballistic missile and underground nuclear tests.